Meet the man who defended his turf and helped Houston land the 2026 World Cup

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- When Houston hosts seven matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the games will not only be played in a world-class city, but on a world-class surface.

"Trust me when I say the grass, the pitch, is the most important thing to FIFA," Janis Burke, CEO of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, revealed to ABC13.

But to FIFA, soccer's governing body, the pitch - the most important thing - nearly became a thing with Houston's bid.

"It was very scary for them to think we would start rooting that grass much later than the rest of the cities," Burke shared.

Houston will be tardy with its turf in 2026 because NRG Stadium, the site of the World Cup matches, also hosts the Rodeo each year. Instead of grass taking root months before the World Cup - the stadium floor features a different surface. Burke gives us the dirt on an out-of-this-world suggestion from the World Cup.

"FIFA said we have to move the Rodeo," Burke recalled. "Well, that's not going to happen - the Rodeo is a big deal in our city!"

"When we were going through the bid process, we did not meet the requirements for installing the field because we have the Rodeo," Chris Canetti, President of the Houston 2026 World Cup Host Committee added.

So what type of hero can save a Houston institution like the Rodeo while also helping bring the world's largest sporting event to town? "The Sodfather" can.

"We love what we do and take pride in what we do," Dan Bergstrom, Director of Turf and Grounds for the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash, admitted during an interview with ABC13. "It's just part of the deal."

Bergstrom has been in his role since 2016, after joining the Dynamo following more than a decade working for the Astros. Just last year, Major League Soccer players voted Shell Energy Stadium the best field in the entire league. Bergstrom was part of Houston's World Cup bid, and many credit his pitch prowess for helping Space City get the green thumbs up from FIFA.

"It really came down to us modeling what we planned to do," Bergstrom said of his presentation to FIFA. "Showing them start to finish how we planned to do it and how it fits into a timeline. We need to present a playing surface that looks like it's been there for a very long time. It cannot be a temporary surface, even though that's what it's going to be."

"It was really a defining moment in the bid process," Canetti said. "You could see this could've gone poorly, but it went very, very well."

When it comes to finding a host for major sporting events, the grass is always greener in Houston - even if it seems there's a whole bunch of dirt in the way.

For more sports news, follow Adam Winkler on Facebook, X and Instagram.